Commentary by Dermidio Juez-Perez
To assure good, truthful reporting, journalists must feel safe.
As soon as journalists feel threatened, the quality of the information the public receives can be harmed. Both governments and societies at large must assure freedom of speech exists – and thus, provide journalists a safe atmosphere to report material truthfully and work with a high level of integrity.
Unfortunately, this freedom isn’t provided to every reporter. Mexico, for instance, has seen many reporters murdered for telling the truth and for investigating more than what the drug cartels would like them to report. A good example is the recent murder of well-known journalist Javier Valdez, who covered underworld activities in the state of Sinaloa for year. With his death, he became the sixth Mexican journalist killed in 2017.
On Monday (May 15), Valdez published his last work. The journalist was fatally shot that afternoon while driving away from his office in Culiacan, the state capital.
Valdez was, perhaps, the most notable Mexican journalist killed in recent years. In 2011, was honored with the Committee to Protect Journalist’s International Press Freedom Award.
Although drug cartel-related murders and kidnappings have become the norm in Mexico during recent years, Valdez’s murder has shocked the nation. Many media outlets decided to cease activities on Tuesday (May 16) to show solidarity with the journalist and his family.
The most terrifying part of this incident is the impunity politicians and others in government are providing Mexican drug cartels.
“The murder of Javier is one more link in a long chain of impunity,” said Javier Garza Ramos, former editor of El Siglo de Torreon. “Anyone who wants to silence the press can do it and have the confidence nothing will happen to them.”
Do Mexican journalists have freedom of speech? It doesn’t seem so. And sadly, the Mexican government seems to like it that way.